Weekend Binge Eating?

rebeccachobat
rebeccachobat Posts: 39 Member
edited November 20 in Health and Weight Loss
Does anybody have any advice for staying under my calories on the weekend? I seem to be very good at staying on track during the week, but the weekends just throw me for a loop. It helps that during the week I'm busy at work or the gym, so I can stick with an "eating schedule," plus I eat a lot of the same things every day during the week, but on the weekends I break down and end up eating a lot of fast food (taco bell, little ceasars, etc). I weighed in today about 2 lbs more than I did on Friday, some of which I am sure is water weight but I am the type of person who can gain weight a lot easier than I can lose weight so it's a bit discouraging to have basically undone all of the progress I made last week in a single weekend.

Any advice welcome.

Replies

  • Old_Cat_Lady
    Old_Cat_Lady Posts: 1,193 Member
    edited July 2017
    Set up a calories savings account for the weekends. Ex: Under eat 100 calories a day and keep track in your notes. Enjoy your weekend. Just and idea...
  • skymningen
    skymningen Posts: 532 Member
    mdeck86 wrote: »
    3 things that help me rebecca; and i hope they can help you too...
    1- stop thinking about the weekend and the bad stuff you want to eat. Right now you are in a vicious cycle where you are subconciously waiting for the weekend to eat what you want instead of what you need.

    This. You are setting up yourself for cravings. Which means you feel bad during the week because you don't get what you want and you feel guilty during the weekend because you got what you "shouldn't have".

    For me there are two options:
    Either I make some food (mentally and literally if possible) inacessible to me and I forget it after some time, or this starts to hit me hard and I develop cravings. It is different for different foods. The one I get cravings usually are very special to me or just take longer to forget. So I indulge occasionally and try to make it fit my calorie goals. And not feel guilty about it. The guilt makes everything worse.
  • everher
    everher Posts: 909 Member
    There's no reason you can't eat fast food on the weekends (or even during the week) if that's what you want to do. Just make sure you're logging everything and staying within your calories. I think a lot of people just tend to go off track on the weekends and not bother logging. Fast food places typically have their nutritional information posted online. There is no reason you can't have fast food and stay within your calories.
  • facetocallhome
    facetocallhome Posts: 36 Member
    toxikon wrote: »
    2. Intermittent fasting on weekends: Simply put - skip breakfast, have a small lunch, and save the majority of your calories for enjoying a large dinner of fast food or eating out.

    This is usually what I try to do as well :)
  • rmgnow
    rmgnow Posts: 375 Member
    everher wrote: »
    There's no reason you can't eat fast food on the weekends (or even during the week) if that's what you want to do. Just make sure you're logging everything and staying within your calories. I think a lot of people just tend to go off track on the weekends and not bother logging. Fast food places typically have their nutritional information posted online. There is no reason you can't have fast food and stay within your calories.

    This. log log log everything.
    Even if you "binge".
    The thing is, when you log the food, psychologically, you become accountable for what you put in your body, so even if you go over you are less likely to make it a habit.

    Also when you don't log and the scale goes up a little you have no idea if it's really water weight, you have no idea what weight you really should be seeing.
  • MikeEsko
    MikeEsko Posts: 81 Member
    facetocallhome wrote: »
    toxikon wrote: »
    2. Intermittent fasting on weekends: Simply put - skip breakfast, have a small lunch, and save the majority of your calories for enjoying a large dinner of fast food or eating out.

    This is usually what I try to do as well :)

    I intermittent fast everyday and feel amazing doing it!
  • Candikickbutt
    Candikickbutt Posts: 97 Member
    The same thing happens to me. I was up 4lbs yesterday. I just made sure to drink lots of water and today I'm back to normal. Fast food has lots of sodium, I'm sure it has to be water weight. Each pound is 3500 calories. So to gain 2lbs, you would have had to eat 7000 calories OVER the amount of calories to maintain your current weight.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    I stick to one meal and a few bits and pieces over the weekend. I make sure I get a workout in and do not eat much prior to that meal. i also always ensure I still maintain some of my week day eating habits such as eating plenty of salad and fruit. I balance any excess out over the course of the following five days. This hasn't been an issue for me thus far and my weight has not gone up. Note to add I am not trying to lose weight currently.

    I agree that you can get into a vicious cycle where you spend the week anticipating this free for all eating day. It is better to find a balance so that you don't feel deprived during the week.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    An alternative to "tips and tricks", though surely not to be popular, would be to stay just as accountable on weekends as you do during the week. If you really want to see positive results commit to making positive choices and changes, regardless of the day of the week.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,985 Member
    Stay accountable during the weekends. And try to find a hobby that you look forward to and that does not involve going to fastfood outlets. Go for a hike outside of town and bring a picknick along, urban exploring? Volunteer with elder people, animals, plants? Anything you'd enjoy. or find a hobby at home that keeps your brains and hands busy: knitting, learning a programming language, anything, really.
  • kyubeans
    kyubeans Posts: 135 Member
    What works for me: Don't treat the weekends as "special". They happen every week, every five days, there are two days of weekend. It's not special, it's not a vacation, there's no reason for a "treat". Treat every day the same, unless it's actually a special occasion. If it's a special occasion, just how special is the food as part of the special occasion?

    Separate the importance of food and "treats" from socializing. Going out with my friend or boyfriend on the weekend means I get to enjoy spending time with them. I'll eat within my plan (using tactics others have recommended above like banking calories for a restaurant dinner), I'll order a burger without the bun with a side salad, and I'll still enjoy the evening just as much as if I'd ordered a burger with french fries. And they don't care what I order or drink. I've decided that alcohol isn't that important to me, so I drink seltzer with lime and spend my calories on the food. Just make sure to plan ahead!

  • court_alacarte
    court_alacarte Posts: 219 Member
    toxikon wrote: »
    I have the same issue. All tracking goes out the window on weekends and I'm likely to go out for meals and drinks with friends. There are a few tips and tricks you can try, but it ultimately comes down to buckling down and changing your perspective on weekends: they're just another day of the week!

    There are a few things you could try that might help, and they mostly revolve around meal timing and banking calories.

    1. Banking calories: eat fewer calories on weekdays to allow more calories on weekends. If you want to average 1500 calories a day, you could actually eat 1300 daily on Mon-Fri, then 2000 on Sat-Sun. That will average out to 1500 cals a day.

    2. Intermittent fasting on weekends: Simply put - skip breakfast, have a small lunch, and save the majority of your calories for enjoying a large dinner of fast food or eating out.

    I usually go for Option 2 because I often sleep in late on weekends so I don't mind missing breakfast, and I'm usually busy in the afternoon so I'll just have a small snack for lunch and save calories for my evening social obligations.

    Numero dos is very helpful for me. I had my cheat meal yesterday and pretty much grazed during the day (it was cooking day, I had to make sure my guacamole was right and it takes a bite or 20... :D ) and ate a whole day's worth of calories in an hour (#noregrets). Only gained a pound this morning. It happens.

    Even though I adhere to 16:8 IF normally, throwing in an OMAD system now and then when you know you're scheduled for a feast can help stave off the guilt.
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
    Some great advice here so far. I'll just add what I do. Every Saturday morning I do a double cardio class at the Y. It's Step and Zumba. I push it hard and burn a ton of calories. It kick starts my weekend and keeps me in an active mode all day. Then I can eat what I like and never go over my calories. I also log everything no matter what. Might not be for you but since I love my weekend partying this is a great way to not blow my progress.
  • animatorswearbras
    animatorswearbras Posts: 1,001 Member
    I have a weekly calorie goal instead of a daily one, I also just eat at maintenance or slightly over at weekends and try to prelog so I don't smash the deficit I've built up, I rarely eat all of my workout calories during the week to compensate for my inevitable foodie weekends, I lose between 1/2 to 1 pound a week doing this and don't feel deprived and still get to have a social life (although you just have to be careful) Its alot of trial and error finding out what suits you and what you find is maintainable in the long run. :) x
  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
    Sounds like you stop counting the calories on the weekend. Start doing that. It is more of a pain to have to calculate out calories for things you don't usually eat, however it will deter you and remind you that you have a goal you are supposed to be staying under. I would assume like most, your phone is constantly on you.....so just make sure to log anything you eat on the weekend.
  • orangegato
    orangegato Posts: 6,572 Member
    Take a look at the fast food places' nutritional info. The high calorie counts are a real eye opener and may influence you to just eat something else. Or eat less of it.
  • bluets2011
    bluets2011 Posts: 241 Member
    Following this. I've started 3 months ago and I was really strict. 1200 calories and not eating back any of my exercises calories. I've had a crazy weekend starting Friday evening and I'm up 8.8lbs this morning. I felt awful!
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    rebeccachobat wrote: »
    Thanks for the responses everyone, I'm taking all of your advice to heart. I went ahead and put in everything I ate yesterday and it clocked in at around 4,000 calories. Being honest with myfitnesspal really helps me to see my flaws and helps me to understand how I gained the weight in the first place. I cannot have another day like yesterday, I am okay with eating 2500 calories or so on a cheat day but 4000 is unacceptable. I really need to try to get on an eating schedule on saturday and Sunday, or stay busy so I don't think about food as much.

    I tend to 'save up' extra calories during the week because I know I'm going to be bad on the weekend. If I finish under my goal by 200 calories on a day, i'll make note of it and go on. Over the course of the week I can easily scrape up an extra 1000+ calories that I can play with on the weekend. Sure, my goal may show I'm over on the weekends, but I know I made up for it the prior week. Or, you can simply make up for it the next week if you were unable to plan for it. An extra 1000, or even 2000 calories seems like a lot, but divide it over a 7 day period and it's only a couple hundred a day you have to make up either with your diet or exercise. I always felt this was part of learning to control my weight long term. I'm not always going to be logging my food, and when I stop and know I've eaten too much on a specific day or weekend, I'll know to buckle down instinctively the week after, or plan for it the week ahead with extra exercise or eating what I know to be lower calorie options. Food for thought.
  • GemstoneofHeart
    GemstoneofHeart Posts: 865 Member
    It sounds like you just let yourself eat more freely on the weekends. Binge eating is an actual disorder that generally cannot be controlled without counseling or other help and is generally done in secret. I hope you find the answers you are looking for!
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
    Yeah, 4000 can undo a lot of your weekly progress if you make a habit of it. The good news is now that you know, you can make some adjustments so that you can fit a fun and delicious weekend into your goals, however you chose to do it. Knowledge really is power.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    edited August 2017
    I saw a lady at Wal-Mart Saturday wearing a t-shirt with the message, "I workout because I really like food."

    Along those lines, one of my exercise goals is to burn 1640 calories bicycling on a Saturday so that I can 'earn' a Sonic Peanut Butter Custard Concrete that has 1640 calories in it.

    You can eat more on Saturdays, and with all that spare time you can exercise more, too.
  • CouponDancer
    CouponDancer Posts: 3 Member
    I too struggle with the weekends and keeping my meal plan in place. I am a bit different, however, because I don’t have “life” to keep me busy. It’s literally “idle hands are the devil’s playground” come to life.

    We never had kids, and my wife isn’t on board with the healthy eating thing as much as I am. Weekends are the time for us to relax and unwind. Our walks on Saturday and Sunday are usually longer – I’ll get 16-20 thousand steps each day. But if we get up in the morning, hit the gym, and then go for a long walk, we’re still at loose ends by noon. 1:00 if we dawdle in the morning. And then we have the rest of the day ahead of us. No kids to keep us occupied with soccer games, chauffer duty, or other pursuits. And going out just costs too much to do it every weekend. So what’s to do? Sunday afternoon we can do our meal prep for the coming workweek, but even that only takes a couple of hours.

    We’re programmed to relax with food and drink. Beer and chips with guacamole. A glass of wine with some bread and cheese. The thought of sitting on the patio under the umbrella drinking a glass of water with a bowl of cashews just seems anticlimactic for a nice weekend.

    Help!
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited August 2017
    I set my goals by week and by month because I love going out and always eat more on those days. The struggle for me really isn't about the day to day, but controlling those nights out. Here's what is working for me so far:

    1) log everything as accurately as possible no matter what.
    2) keep your goals realistic - I aim for 2-3 lbs lost a month. Any loss is better than a gain.
    3) figure out the minimum you can comfortably eat on a "regular day" and stick to it as religiously as possible. But don't starve yourself! That's just not sustainable. I eat about 1500 calories five days a week.
    4) work on reasonable changes for your big days - that might be including more exercise, fasting earlier in the day, cutting from two big days to one, switching from margaritas to wine, etc. I had been going out 3-4 nights a week, and just cutting that to two nights has been a huge drop in overall calories. I switched from wine to hard cider because I drink wine way too fast, and that has been another big calorie drop, not to mention helping with the drunk munchies.

    Good luck!
  • Russellb97
    Russellb97 Posts: 1,057 Member
    I purposely eat over my maintenance calories on the weekend. It's a great way to stay in control and keep metabolism honest.
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